


my favorite way to die

by fabulousfairytales



Series: schmico AU ville [5]
Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Alternate Universe - 19th Century, Angst and Tragedy, Death penalty, Heavy Angst, Last Night Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-22
Updated: 2019-02-22
Packaged: 2019-11-03 19:14:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17883680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fabulousfairytales/pseuds/fabulousfairytales
Summary: Set in the 1800s. After being sentenced to death, Nico spends his last night on earth with his love, Levi.





	my favorite way to die

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Here we go again with a very sad and angsty fic. As always with those longer fics, thanks to my boo [schmittlevi](http://schmittlevi.tumblr.com/) for betaing, although you hate me now for this story haha. And also thanks to [no-shame-spiral](https://no-shame-spiral.tumblr.com/) for coming up with that Schmico in the 1800s idea!!

"I shouldn't have listened to you. I should've come forward. Then maybe your punishment wouldn’t’ve been that severe." Levi shook his head as he was staring at his empty hands. He should’ve done something. Just anything. Maybe then his lover wouldn’t have been sentenced to death by hanging.

"The only thing that would've happened would be that you'll be executed too. They know that I have a lover. They would've counted two and two together and killed us both, maybe not for the robberies, but definitely for sodomy."

"But -"

"My love, please.” Nico rested his hand on Levi’s knee, squeezing it a little to reassure him that his actions were the right ones. “Let us have this night. It is my last night on earth and I want to spend it with you."

"Alright, love."

Nico took his lover's face between his hands and pulled it closer to press his lips onto Levi's. He didn't waste any time and pushed his tongue into his lover's mouth, tasting him for the first time in days. He was lucky that the people they had helped in the past wanted to give them one last gift of gratitude, so some of them bribed the guard to let him go for the night, promising that Nico will be back for his execution.

"Nico?" Levi whispered as he pulled away a little.

"Yes?"

"I want you to be my husband. From now on and forever. I do not want to talk about my dead lover, but my dead husband."

“That’s dark,” Nico chuckled. “What are you saying?"

“I am asking you to marry me. Right here right now. Wait.” He jumped up and huddled over to where his coat was hanging and reached into the big pockets, fishing out two golden rings that his friend made for him. He quickly went back to their bed, slipping under the thick cover.

“But it's not a real-“

“I don’t care. For me, for us, it is real. Or do you not want to marry me?”

“Of course, I want to, you fool,” Nico laughed and wrapped his arm around Levi's waist.

“We need vows,” Levi noted. Nico nodded as he ran his hand through Levi's curls.

“Let me start,” Nico said to which his lover just nodded.

“Levi. I do not even remember the day before I met you, because your sudden presence made me forget everything around me. I still to this day do not remember what I had planned for that day, I was just so enthralled by you the moment I laid my eyes upon you. You are my love, and I would do anything for you. And now I'll die so you don't have to, and I do not have a single regret about it. Because I know that you will be well. That is all I want. That you are well. I love you my dear. Now. And forever. And with this ring I take thee to be my wedded husband. Even after death parts us, I will still love you as my body might not be eternal but my love for you is.”

Levi was staring at the ring that Nico was pushing up his left ring finger. The sign of their eternal love, as simple as a golden ring on his hand.

“Oh Nico,” he breathed. “You have always been the more romantic one of the two of us. But that did not stop me from assuring you of my love for you every single day. There is no world in which I want to live in where I am not your husband. No matter the place or the time, I am certain that we will always find each other. Because our love will survive anything, even us. I hope that one day, one version of us can find true happiness. Together. I promise you that I will do my part every single time. I love you now and I will love you for all eternity. So with this ring I take thee to be my wedded husband. My soul will always find yours. I promise you that.”

Levi pushed the ring onto Nico’s left ring finger and smiled. He cupped Nico’s cheek and pulled him closer to kiss his slightly chapped lips. His hands were wandering over Nico’s exposed chest to the hem of his pants, pushing them down and throwing them onto the floor.

“My love,” Nico whispered as he ran his fingers through Levi’s curls. His hair was soft as ever and he couldn’t help but to touch it as often as possible since he won’t be able to do it for much longer.

“Please do not come to my execution. I do not want them to find out about us, because I would never deny our love. I do not want you to see me like that. Remember me like this. In your arms and with a smile on my face,” Nico pleaded quietly. But Levi shook his head.

“No. My love, no. I will be there. I will stand among our friends and I will be proud of you. I will be there when you take your last breath. Because I will not waste a minute of seeing you breathe,” Levi disagreed. Nico sighed, but he wasn’t surprised. Levi could be headstrong sometimes. He had always been like that. It was part of why Nico fell for him.

“I do not want to argue tonight, my love.”

“Good. Because I don’t want that either. Let’s just forget the world around us and make love tonight. Let us stay awake and make use of the short time that we have,” Levi suggested as he ran his hands over Nico’s thighs.

“That sounds just perfect,” Nico agreed before he wrapped his arms around his husband, pulling him close and kissing his neck.

The next day came by quicker than they had anticipated. Levi’s friend Taryn was coming by to remind them to say their goodbyes before Nico would have to go back to his cell.

“I will see you,” Nico whispered as he leaned his forehead against Levi’s, caressing his husband’s cheeks.

“Kiss me one last time, love. Please,” Levi begged as he put his hands over Nico’s, intertwining their fingers. Nico pressed his lips onto Levi’s, capturing them completely as he wrapped his arms tightly around his husband’s body.

“I want to look at you, love. I want you to be the last thing I see, but I cannot do that. I’m sure they will notice, and I cannot expose you like that, so let me have a good look at you before I go.”

“Love, please. Look at me when you’re up there. I do not care if they catch me. My life will be over the moment they hang you anyways.”

“Don’t say that! I –“

“Let me be the last thing you look at.”

“Levi –“

“Nico, Levi. I am so sorry, but we have to bring him back to his cell. Say your goodbyes. You have 5 minutes, okay?” Lincoln said as he and Levi’s friend Taryn left the cabin to wait outside.

“Don’t let us fight now. Just let me hold and kiss you,” Nico said as he pressed his lips onto Levi’s once more, wrapping his arms around Levi’s small body. Nico slipped his tongue into his husband’s mouth, feeling his warm tongue on his one last time. Tasting him. Nico wanted to never let go of him ever again, but he knew that he would have to go in a few moments.

“I love you, my dear,” he breathed.

“I love you too,” Levi echoed. It was the moment they’ve been dreading. This was the moment of goodbye. Neither of them were ready, but there wasn’t much to do about it.

“We can just run away,” Levi suddenly said. “Let’s run away. Let’s leave this country and go to Italy. Or Portugal. Or Japan or Brazil. They all decriminalized homosexuality. They might still hate us, but they won’t kill us. Please, my love. Run away with me,” Levi begged as he had taken both of Nico’s hands between his, clutching them close to his heart.

Nico gave him a tired smile and raised their hands to press a soft kiss onto Levi’s.

“Levi, my love. My beautiful husband. What I wouldn’t give to just run away with you. But you know that I cannot do that. They’re gonna come after us. And on their way, they’re going to kill everybody that we helped and who have ever helped us. We’ve come so far. I cannot kill all those people.” He shook his head lightly as he cupped his lover’s cheek.

“What about me? You’re killing me if you just go to your execution like that. Like it is okay.”

“Because it is. We found each other. We felt love. Not just the kind that everybody eventually feels, but the extraordinary kind. We found each other. And I trust that we will find each other again in another lifetime. Just like you said.”

“It is not fair,” Levi sniffed, tears welling up in his eyes.

“I know, it’s not.” His voice was trembling. He stroked Levi’s cheek with his thumb. “I really wish I could run away with you, my love.”

“I know. I know you do,” Levi reassured him as he placed his hand on top of Nico’s again. They just stood there, in the middle of the room for a few more moments until the door opened again. It was Lincoln, signaling that it was time for him and Nico to go.

“Now,” Nico whispered.

“And forever,” Levi added. They both smiled through the tears and Nico finally left the cabin that they had called their home for the past six years. Levi took a last glance at their shared space before he too stepped outside where his friend was waiting for him. She was looking at him, waiting for him to say a word. Just anything. She knew that he was trying to get another glimpse of Nico before seeing him with a rope around his neck, but the two men were quick and were already behind the small hill.

“Taryn?” Levi finally said her name.

She nodded expectantly. “Yes?”

“I won’t be coming home tonight. Or any night. This place is yours now,” he said quietly as they started walking. The execution was set for in a few hours and Levi needed to be there before it was actually starting.

Taryn frowned. That could only mean one thing. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” He nodded. “Yes, I am sure.”

“I understand,” she noted solemnly, blinking away the tears that were forming in her eyes.

They walked in silence until they reached the marketplace where a lot of people were already waiting for the spectacle of the day to happen. Quite some of them were people they once helped in the past. They were here to show their respect and thankfulness for everything that Nico and Levi had done for them. Others were just here to see blood. Levi felt sick to his stomach.

He felt even sicker when he saw Lincoln coming their way. Which meant that it’s soon going to happen. Very soon.

“How is he?” Levi asked quietly.

“He’s holding up. He’s worried about you. He thinks you might do something foolish.”

“He knows me too well.” Levi noted with a tired smile.

“So, are you?”

“Yes.”

“Levi, I promised him–“

“Thank you for everything, Lincoln.” He gave the taller man’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “You were a truly good friend. But nobody can form my fate except me.”

“And you are absolutely sure?” Taryn asked him again. He nodded slowly before taking her hand and squeezing it softly.

“You were my best friend and I am so thankful to have known you. Take care of each other.  And do not end up like us. Please.”

And with that, he turned around to walk towards the small shack where he knew Nico was being held right now. He took a deep breath as he approached the door. He was about to open it when he heard the voices from inside.

“Son, just tell me who you were working with and we will not have to do this. You can serve your time through a few years of hard labor. Just tell us who it is,” the judge offered him as he was squatting in front of Nico who just huffed out a laugh and shook his head.

“Yeah, and when I tell you who it is, you’re going to add the other thing you couldn’t prove before and kill us both. I’m not dumb.” He rolled his eyes and leaned his head against the beam behind him.

“What if I promise that I will sentence the both of you to hard labor?”

“Then I would think that you’re a very desperate man and wonder why that is the case,” Nico said with a smirk.

“If I were you, I’d be very careful about what I’m going to say next,” the judge growled, but Nico just laughed right into his face.

“Why? What are you going to do? Kill me twice?” Nico spat. In that moment, the door opened with a loud _thud._ Nico had to squint his eyes since the sun was shining right into them. When the door closed, he felt a pair of hands on his shoulders. He recognized those hands. He had felt those hands all over his body for years now. No. His heart skipped a beat. This couldn’t be. What was he doing here?

“Levi?” He breathed.

“Nico please. Take the hard labor, I don’t care,” he begged.

“And who are you?” The other man asked as he got up for the sole purpose of looking down on them.

“He’s – He…”

“I am his lover. And I assisted him in those robberies.” The judge raised an eyebrow and smirked.

“Levi, don’t – He’s. He’s not –“ He sighed. Levi knew exactly that he would never deny his love for him. Neither of them ever did. Sometimes people would ask them if they were… involved with each other. And every time they’d answer truthfully. It was a dangerous game, but they knew that the people they were helping were just curious and wouldn’t go tattle on them. They were way to thankful for the gifts that they were bringing than to run to the authorities.

“Please, do not kill him. Give both of us years of hard labor, please. I beg you. I am here. Just spare him,” Levi whispered as he kneeled in front of the judge who let out a breathy laugh.

“Oh, I do not remember having offered you this deal, have I?”

“No, but –“

“See, now you got me into a situation where I’ll have to execute the both of you. That was really not how I planned this to go, but I guess I have to tell the hangman now that there are two people to be hung. That’s really irksome,” he said in an amused voice.

Nico’s eyes darkened, and this was the first time in his entire life that he ever wanted to just get up and kill someone. “You son of a –“ He stopped when he felt Levi’s hand on his shoulder holding him back.

“You were saying something?” The judge asked as he opened the door, blinding him with the light again. Nico didn’t say another word, but he was furious. He tricked him. He probably knew that Levi was listening outside and that’s why he said all those things about reducing his sentence. That son of a bitch.

“No,” Nico growled.

“Yeah, I thought so.” The moment the door closed, Nico felt Levi’s lips crashing into his. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around his body, forgetting the world around them for a second but stopping when he slowly remembered what just happened.

“He tricked you. That bastard tricked you! I cannot –“ Nico’s voice was shaking with anger. How dare he trick Levi like that?

“Did he really?”

Nico frowned in confusion. “Of course he did. What else –” His face fell. “Oh.” Levi wanted to be sentenced to death along him? No. No. No. No. No.

Levi gave him a soft smile. “Yeah.”

“But – No. No! Why would you do this? I told you that I –“

“I just – I cannot be in a world without you.”

“But –“

“Shhh,” Levi gently silenced him by pressing his finger onto Nico’s lips.

“I will not be well without you, Nico. I will be miserable until the day I die. And now shush. We don’t have much time left, my love,” he whispered as he cupped Nico’s cheeks and ran his thumbs over them.

His husband sighed, but he nodded in agreement, because he knew that he would do the exact same thing. He wrapped his arms around Levi’s body and pulled him as close as possible while pressing his lips against Levi’s. This was the last time they were able to touch and kiss each other like that, and he wouldn’t waste another second.

The last kiss they shared was tender and soft. They were holding each other tight. One of Levi’s hands was buried in Nico’s hair, while the other was resting on his lower back. Nico’s hands were on Levi’s cheek and his waist as he had one arm wrapped around it. Their lips were moving slowly, just like their tongues were. They were savoring this last moment together until the door swung open again.

It was time.

“Any last words?” The hangman asked as they were standing on top of the trap doors.

They both nodded and turned to face each other. They had promised each other to smile so that’s what they did. They smiled at each other as if they weren’t about to be hung in a minute.

“My body might not be eternal, but my love for you is,” Levi whispered as he was reaching out to try and touch Nico’s hand.

The smile on his face was beautiful. Nico has never seen a person as beautiful as Levi.

“My soul will always find yours. I promise you that,” Nico replied and was able to brush the tip of Levi’s fingers before he felt the noose tighten around his neck.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!! Leave a comment if you cried? Or if you just enjoyed it in general? Pretty please? :)  
> My tumblr is [orthoglasses](http://orthoglasses.tumblr.com/) and you can come over if you wanna talk or have a prompt!!


End file.
